


A Sweet, Naïve Lie

by Mengde



Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-12
Updated: 2012-06-12
Packaged: 2017-11-07 14:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mengde/pseuds/Mengde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A group of government killers threatens Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin is willing to fight, despite his waning strength; his foes, however, may be less dangerous than his vow to not kill. He must choose between his life as rurouni - or losing Kaoru forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Stage, Kyoto

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I'm Mengde, and Rurouni Kenshin is a longtime favorite of mine - my first story on this site was actually a RuroKen fic I never finished. With that in mind, I reread the series recently and wanted to do a piece exploring several things: Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship after the end of the Jinchu arc, the clash between their idealistic katsujin-ken and the reality of death, and how another fight with Saitou would go. If any of these things sound interesting to you, I invite you to read on. This story has five parts, which will be posted on Mondays and Thursdays. I've rated it T for violence and mature themes. Without further ado, then...

Himura Kenshin knelt before the grave of his wife, Tomoe, his head bowed in contemplation.

Almost a year had passed since his battle with Enishi – since he had given up his rurouni lifestyle and settled down with Kaoru. Now, with winter upon them, he had requested Kaoru's permission to return to Kyoto and make an offering at Tomoe's grave. It was the anniversary of her death.

The sakabatō hung, heavy, at his side. Snow gathered on his shoulders and head, but he did not move. He continued to kneel, mind elsewhere, remembering the scent of Tomoe's perfume, of Hakubaikō.

Kaoru had agreed to his request on one condition: that she come with him.

She was not here. Kenshin understood why she'd stayed at the Aoi-ya – why she'd insisted on traveling all the way to Kyoto with him, then let him go alone to Tomoe's grave. Somewhere inside her, Kaoru still feared Kenshin would drift away again, returning to his rootless rurouni life.

He had no intention of doing that, but it would be pointless to reassure her. She would only deny she had any doubts. It was not Kaoru's way to admit misgivings. Despite the solemnity of the occasion, Kenshin felt a small smile quirk at the corners of his mouth. Even a year and a half ago, he would have felt guilty, thinking of Kaoru at Tomoe's grave, but now he knew Tomoe did not mind. He'd learned that much in the living hell inflicted upon him by Enishi.

Kenshin's mind drifted in this manner for the better part of an hour, wandering through different fields of thought as he'd once wandered through Japan – never staying long, never getting attached or rooted to one place.

As the sounds of the city began to increase around him with the rising path of the sun, Kenshin stood, the small smile still on his face. He had his answer. The gold hairpin in his right hand glinted in the sunlight. Today, he would ask Kaoru to marry him. This visit had erased all doubts from his mind.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Tomoe…"

He left the graveyard. The snow, still falling, began to cover the bare patch of ground which he'd occupied. His footprints faded.

The snow crunched beneath the boots of a new figure, his narrow eyes taking in the offering of incense and flowers Kenshin had left at the grave.

"Still rurouni," Saitou Hajime said to the air. He knelt, leaving an offering himself. A blue and white headband, the one he'd worn as a Captain in the Shinsengumi, now rested on the grave.

Saitou took a long draw on his cigarette. "And I'm sorry for that. I'd hoped you would be yourself when I killed you." He stamped out the cigarette. It smoldered in the snow for a moment before dying completely.

The last Wolf of Mibu stalked out, leaving the headband resting in the graveyard.

* * *

Aoi-ya was still quiet when Kenshin returned. Happy as he was, he was not too distracted to notice that the inn was _too_ quiet.

Kenshin's danger sense began to flare. He didn't know precisely what was wrong, but there _was_ something off. Ready to draw his sakabatō, he opened the front door of the inn.

Nobody was there to greet him. He stood alone in the front room, snow drifting in from behind him to land softly on the tatami. For a moment he strained his ears, trying to detect breathing, but could hear nothing. Was everyone still in their beds? Kaoru he could understand still being asleep, but Aoshi, Okina and the rest should have been awake by now.

Moving cautiously, Kenshin crept through the hallways of the Aoi-ya, straining his senses. As he approached Kaoru's room, he heard breathing – but not hers. He had memorized the small sighs of her sleep, the whimpers inspired in her by a nightmare, the small hitch that meant she was awake. This was someone else.

A man.

Kenshin did not hesitate. He threw open the door to Kaoru's room, dropping into a battoujutsu stance immediately afterward. If the enemy launched a surprise attack, he would run straight into Kenshin's draw.

No attack came. The man in Kaoru's room was sitting with his back to the far wall, his posture relaxed. For a moment, his long, black hair hid his face, but it fell away as he looked up at Kenshin. His eyes were flinty, his mouth drawn into a flat, cruel line. Kenshin didn't know him, but he recognized the face of a killer when he saw it. The man wore a robe and trousers, both black, and sandals. He was not visibly armed.

"Himura Battousai," he said. His voice was melodious, smooth, a stark contrast to his harsh appearance. "You make quite an entrance."

"This one has no interest in who you are or why you are here," Kenshin said, ignoring the man's statement and not relaxing from his stance. "This one has only one question: where is Kaoru-dono?"

"Safe," the man said, his tone soothing. "You can relax, Battousai. I'm not here to fight you."

"If you are not," Kenshin replied, "then take this one to Kaoru-dono."

"In good time. I have a proposition for you first."

"THIS ONE DOES NOT CARE!" Kenshin bellowed, sending a wave of chi rushing at the intruder.

Any ordinary man would have been stunned by the force of Kenshin's battle aura, or at least perturbed. This man, however, merely stood up. Kenshin could see steely muscles rippling beneath his garments. "I understand your hesitation. But rather than reject me out of hand, hear me out. It will ensure that your friend, who is safe, remains that way."

Kenshin gritted his teeth, but he relaxed from his stance. "What do you want?"

"To recruit you," the man said. "You remember Udō Jin-e, the Kurogasa."

Memories flashed back to Kenshin. _To save Kaoru-dono, this one will once again become the hitokiri…_

"Yes."

"Well, once he killed himself after your duel, things became complicated. Several other assassins were brought in to try to replace him, but none of them worked out. You may remember dealing with one yourself – Akamatsu."

"Yes." Kenshin kept his voice cold, but inside, he seethed with frustration. Whatever this man had to say was trivial compared to the necessity of finding Kaoru. Kenshin wished he would come to the point.

"Well. The government decided to let the matter drop after that – until now. There is need of a hitokiri once more."

"There are others in the government who could perform such duties," Kenshin said. "You must know of this one's vow not to kill. Why, therefore, approach this one?"

The man smiled. It was a meaningless expression, devoid of warmth. "The destruction caused by Yukishiro Enishi in his pursuit of revenge on you has also called into question your status. Are you a national hero, or a national liability? Certain people with influence believe the latter."

"So you have come to either recruit this one to serve as the government's hitokiri," Kenshin said, "or kill this one."

"Precisely."

Kenshin shook his head. "This one will do neither. Killing is not possible, nor can this one allow himself to die. If you wish a fight, this one will oblige you – _after_ you have returned Kaoru-dono safely."

"I told him you'd say that," a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

His heartbeat loud in his ears, Kenshin shifted and turned such that he could look the newcomer in the eye while still keeping the intruder in his peripheral vision. He found himself locking gazes with Saitou Hajime, his one remaining rival.

"Saitou," he said. "This one thought he had been given up on."

"You have been," Saitou said. "By me, at least. But my superiors have ordered me to accompany Tetsuo-kun on this mission, so." He rested his hand on his sword. "Here I am."

The man called Tetsuo strode toward Kenshin, his footsteps quiet despite his considerable mass. "We took Kamiya Kaoru as insurance," Tetsuo said. "Against your refusing to hear our offer, and against your running away if it came to blows. If you want her back, you will have to come and retrieve her."

Kenshin felt his teeth begin to grind. "Your affair is solely with this one," he said. "This one will ask, once more, for you to return Kaoru-dono. If you refuse –"

Tetsuo suddenly stood inches away from Kenshin, one hand resting on the sakabatō's pommel, keeping Kenshin from drawing the sword. "Don't mistake us," he said. "You cannot take both me and Saitou here, not at the same time. We have your woman at the six-gated shrine on Mt. Hiei, where you fought and defeated Shishio Makoto. Come to that place one hour from now."

He lifted his hand from the sakabatō, turned away. "If you arrive sooner than that," he added, "my other comrades have orders to kill her."

Kenshin's gaze drilled into Tetsuo's back, but he did not turn around, instead walking toward the exit. Saitou lingered for another moment before following, his expression grim.

For a long minute after they had both left, Kenshin stood there, eyes closed, a cold and deadly fire burning inside him, the likes of which he'd not felt since fighting Kurogasa. He'd conquered Battousai since that fight, learned to draw full strength while still being careful of his opponent's life.

But now, at this moment, he wanted nothing more than to kill that man, Tetsuo. He wanted to cleave his flesh with his blade, watch his lifeblood stain the snow crimson. Between that, and the slow deterioration of his body from the strain of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, he wasn't sure if he could win.

"But this one must try nonetheless," he said, gripping his sword. "Kaoru … please be safe. This one will bring you back."

He headed toward the exit, Mt. Hiei looming in his mind's eye.

* * *

**The Secret Lives of Characters: Himura Kenshin**

(These have always been one of my favorite parts of the manga, so I'm doing these small afterwords on the various characters appearing in this story just for fun. They're my thoughts on the series characters and a little backstory on my original characters.)

Kenshin being one of my favorite characters, I knew I had to do him justice - but which Kenshin, specifically? There's the smiling, serene Kenshin, the bumbling, confused Kenshin who says "oro," the sorrowful, repentant Kenshin... I initially wanted to explore as many facets of Kenshin as I could, but the direction of the story ultimately demanded I stick to just one. Since this is, in the end, a story about Kenshin fighting for his and Kaoru's lives, I opted to eschew Kenshin's bright, funny side for a more serious depiction. I love the "Trust & Betrayal" OVA based on the flashback chapters of the manga, so that is an influence - but this story is based on the manga continuity, which (in my humble opinion) is the most satisfying, so I tried to preserve the rage and fire he shows whenever he is seriously provoked.

The fact that Kenshin is so inflexible and stubborn about his unwillingness to kill is simultaneously one of his most fascinating, admirable, and frustrating qualities; the Jin-e arc, despite its relative earliness in the scope of the manga, is one of my favorites, since it has as its core conflict the disconnect between Kenshin's ideals and the world in which he lives. That was, as I said in my foreword, one of the things I wanted to explore in this story. His relationship with his sword, his relationship with Kaoru - I wanted to poke at how he fits it together in his mind.


	2. The Six-Gated Shrine

Kaoru sat in the ruins of Shishio Makoto's mountain fortress, surrounded by death.

The interior of the mountain had once housed a great complex; now it was little more than a huge, half-collapsed cavern, strewn with debris. She could see bones protruding from the rubble where Shishio's remaining men had not fled quickly enough. That was a less immediate kind of death, however, than the three men who stood watch over her, making sure she couldn't flee.

They were dressed all in black, but they wore no masks. One of them, who was armed with a katana and wakizashi, was quite handsome, but the way the light glinted off his eyes suggested cruelty. Another, who stood a full head taller than the rest, had an imposing face with a prominent brow; he gripped a large guandao, a heavy bladed polearm from the Continent. The last man was plain, even nondescript, and had no visible armament – but Kaoru could sense that he was dangerous, too. All of them reeked of death.

From the moment the one called Tetsuo had woken her in the Aoi-ya, they'd been unfailingly polite, instructing her to dress quickly and come with them. They had been quite apologetic while explaining that if she refused to accompany them or made a scene while doing so, they would kill her and anyone who might be witnesses. The Oniwabanshū had been drawn off with a fake message. She was alone.

So she'd gone with them, and this was the result. It was just like with Kurogasa; Kenshin was the fish, and she the bait. The words exchanged by these three had told her as much.

This time, however, would be different, Kaoru resolved. She would not sit idly by and watch while Kenshin fought and suffered for her. She would do _something._

Kamiya Kasshin-ryū was meant to be performed with a bokken, but she would fight barehanded if she had to. Her father had believed in katsujin-ken, swords which gave life, and she would uphold his legacy. She would protect Kenshin. She hadn't come this far, through trials and hardship and suffering, to lose him now. She would fight, and she would make these men regret using her.

But for now, she sat motionless, not speaking. Let them think they'd won.

They would soon learn otherwise.

* * *

Tetsuo leaned forward in the carriage. "You seem upset, Saitou-san," he said. "Afraid Ukiyo, Zhang Cai or Kuroda will finish Battousai before you do?"

Saitou scowled at him. "None of your assassins are a match for Battousai," he said. "That's not my worry. What _is_ my worry is that instead of simply sending me to kill him, or doing it yourself, you are arranging this elaborate duel and stooping so low as to kidnap his woman. These are not the tactics of the police or the Shinsengumi, Tetsuo."

That elicited a sneer. "I told the superintendent general that I would deliver him Battousai," Tetsuo said. "This will make my career, Saitou-san. Breaking the shell of 'Himura Kenshin' to reveal 'Hitokiri Battousai' will be victory enough; then, when I break _him_ and deliver him as promised, the opportunities will be boundless."

Saitou's hand drifted toward his sword. "You know my philosophy," he said. "I have sworn to rid the Meiji government of any bloodsucking ticks who do nothing but feed on the people and advance their own interests. If you think of nothing but your own advancement…"

Tetsuo smirked. "Don't preach Aku Soku Zan to me, Saitou-san. I know the code of the Shinsengumi. And the first rule of that code is 'to act in a manner befitting a samurai.' A samurai would never disobey the command of his lord, and though you are my superior in experience with Battousai, your boss has made me _your_ superior for this operation. You _were_ directly ordered to help subdue or kill this man, remember?"

His scowl deepening, Saitou let his hand fall back to his side. "I was. And so you will remain my superior for now – Tetsuo-kun." The emphasis he placed on the honorific left little about his true feelings to the imagination.

Satisfied, Tetsuo settled back in his seat. "Good. Now, let's enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts."

Saitou watched him for another moment before letting his gaze move to the window. Maeda Tetsuo was dangerous, all right. That much was clear.

What still remained to be determined was how Battousai would deal with this situation.

Lighting a cigarette, Saitou inhaled, the back of his throat feeling like a bed of coals. The smoke lingered in his nostrils, the smell reminding him of the smell of the Ikeda-ya as it had burned, years ago. That had been a good night. He remembered moving through the streets in the aftermath, how he'd met the gaze of a short, red-haired man in the crowd and known instantly they were destined to fight.

_What will you do, Battousai?_

* * *

The moan of the wind was the only sound outside Mt. Hiei.

The sun was blotted out by thick clouds. Kenshin did not feel the cold of the snow or the chill in the air. He moved through the drifts toward the six-gated shrine, making no attempt to hide his approach. The sakabatō was a dead weight at his waist. If Tetsuo had other men apart from Saitou, they would doubtless attack soon.

Kenshin wanted it that way. He would not let them hold Kaoru for one minute longer than necessary.

It was surprising, therefore, that when he arrived at the shrine, nobody had yet attacked. The woods around Mt. Hiei would have made for any number of prime ambushes. He found himself remembering his battle with the Yaminobu in the binding forest, how they'd slowly whittled away at his strength to keep him from Tomoe.

He remembered how he'd slaughtered them, one by one.

Kenshin snapped out of his reverie when he saw the figure standing in front of the six gates. The man was dressed in black and wore a katana and wakizashi at his waist.

"This one gives you fair warning," Kenshin called. "No conflict is sought. This one's only wish is to retrieve Kaoru-dono from the mountain."

"That's fine by me," the man replied. "Go ahead and enter."

Wary, Kenshin started to walk past him.

He whirled, drawing his sakabatō as he moved. The man's attack clashed against Kenshin's blade, his katana's edge stopped an inch from Kenshin's throat.

_He's fast._

Then Kenshin saw his other hand, gripping the wakizashi, whirling around to stab him in the stomach. Kenshin disengaged with a shove, hurling himself backward out of reach.

"You're as good as they say," the man said, spinning his blades in a flourish. "That would have taken any ordinary man by surprise."

"Any ordinary man," Kenshin replied, "would not have sensed your killing intent. You hide it well."

"You're too kind." He saluted Kenshin with his wakizashi, then leveled his katana at him. "But I'm afraid we're out of time for chitchat, Battousai. Ukiyo Jiro will prove to the world his mastery of Miyamoto Musashi's Niten Ichi-ryū –" he crouched low to the ground – "with your life!"

Kenshin read Ukiyo's movement as he attacked, leading with the katana. As far as he knew, there was only one Niten Ichi inheritor, and it was not this man. There was something wrong here. He brought his sakabatō up to take Ukiyo's strike, deflecting the blow to the side, then twisted around the follow-up thrust from the wakizashi. He swung his sword as he twisted, blending into a Ryukansen.

Ukiyo was already moving. He recovered from his deflected charge, swinging his katana around to bash Kenshin's Ryukansen off-course. The sakabatō passed an inch over his head as he crouched low to the ground. Kenshin's eyes widened as he tracked the movement of Ukiyo's wakizashi; the man seamlessly shifted the weapon into a reverse grip even as he deflected the Ryukansen, then stabbed it sideways at Kenshin's gut.

Kenshin curled his body away from the attack. The wakizashi sliced him clean across his flank, doing little real damage, but a wound was still a wound. He leapt backward, trying to get breathing room. This man's speed was not inferior to his own –

Ukiyo was on him, not giving him time to recover. _Focus,_ Kenshin thought. _Read the wakizashi._ Ukiyo's tactics seemed to be focused on making openings in Kenshin's defense with his katana so he could slip the wakizashi through, so he would have to watch for that. Sure enough, Ukiyo launched into a whirling slash with his katana, one which Kenshin deflected easily. The snow crunched beneath his feet as the man rotated, exposing his back to Kenshin.

_He expects me to try to take his back, but the attack will come from the left side, with a reverse grip on the wakizashi._

Kenshin saw Ukiyo's arm move, lashing out backward in what would be a clean blow to his abdomen. He sidestepped just far enough of the way, bringing his sakabatō down toward Ukiyo's head in the same movement.

He stared, dumbstruck, as his sword collided with Ukiyo's wakizashi, now in the man's right hand. In that same instant, he felt a piercing pain in his gut as Ukiyo's katana, now in his left hand, stabbed into his abdomen.

Ukiyo whirled away, Kenshin's blood flying from his sword. "How do you like it, Battousai?" he asked. He whirled his weapons again. This was no simple flourish; not only was he ambidextrous, he could also hold either of his weapons in a fore or reverse grip as the situation demanded. "This is the ultimate two-weapon style, Niten Ichi-ryū, combined with the 'flowing-water' technique of the Kokuryuha school! A battle between master swordsmen will come down to whoever demonstrates superior mastery of his range – something you cannot hope to achieve here, since your range is static and mine impossible to predict!"

"It is a marvel to see the Niten Ichi style wielded so proficiently," Kenshin replied, taking the moment afforded by Ukiyo's boasting to probe his wounds. The slash he'd sustained was shallow, as he'd thought, but the stab wound was deeper, enough to give him trouble if the battle dragged out too long. "But this one has no time to admire your technique, Ukiyo-san. This one has come for Kaoru-dono –" he sheathed his sword, went into battoujutsu stance – "and you are in the way."

Ukiyo grinned. "The legendary sword-drawing technique of Himura Battousai. But you don't seriously think it will work here, do you? I've already demonstrated my speed is on par with yours. You are now wounded, slowing you further. You have but one weapon; I have two. If you surrender now, I will spare you. You will live to see your woman, and the world will recognize my mastery of Niten Ichi-ryū. Not a bad offer, no?"

"Your offer is kind," Kenshin said, "but this one cannot accept it. The path to Kaoru-dono lies through you, Ukiyo-san, and paths are made only by going forward. This one has not lost yet."

"Trying to taunt me into coming within range? Please. You've read my style and grasped its techniques, so my best chance is now to use my mutable range against you in a reactive fashion. To throw myself into your range in an attack is, at this point, folly."

Kenshin shook his head. "You don't understand, Ukiyo-san. This one was not inviting you to challenge him. This one has already won."

He went into shinsoku, closing the distance between himself and Ukiyo far faster than his opponent expected. The man's eyes widened in fear as Kenshin struck at him, whipping the sakabatō toward his head. He watched Ukiyo maneuver his katana into the way of the attack; the man expected to block Kenshin's strike, then slice into him with his wakizashi while Kenshin was vulnerable.

His eyes widened even more when Kenshin's sword, still sheathed, crushed into his katana. Kenshin drew the sakabatō, batting the wakizashi strike away as he did so, and transitioned from the Soryusen Ikazuchi into another Ryukansen.

This time, he bashed Ukiyo right across the back of his head. The man went down without a sound, hitting the snow with a dull crunch. His swords fell to either side of him.

"Your mastery of range is indeed impressive," Kenshin said. "But wielding two swords splits one's attention. Had you been using only the katana, you would have seen this one had not drawn his sword, but you were distracted and could only follow this one's motions, not their details." He sheathed the sakabatō. "In the future, please find a way to prove your mastery of Niten Ichi-ryū that is constructive."

He turned to enter the mountain. Standing in his way was a large, imposing man with a guandao.

"So you've defeated Ukiyo," he said in a voice which was like stones grinding together. "Your sword has not dulled as much as Tetsuo-san thought."

"What was said to him," Kenshin replied, "will be said again to you. This one does not seek conflict, only Kaoru-dono's safe return."

The sound of the guandao's shaft slamming against the stone ground rang out.

"Try it."

* * *

**The Secret Lives of Characters: Ukiyo Jiro**

My initial idea for "A Sweet, Naïve Lie" was a longer piece, with the government targeting not only Kenshin but also Aoshi, Sanosuke, and Soujirou; I ultimately pared that down to just Kenshin. As Watsuki observed in his "Secret Lives" entry on Enishi, it would have been far more attractive, character-wise, for Enishi to have fought through all of Kenshin's friends before getting to him. So I adopted that approach here. I'm somewhat disappointed that I didn't get to develop my original characters as much as I would have been able to in a longer piece, but I feel the trade-off was ultimately worth it and they didn't suffer too badly.

That being said, Jiro was originally going to fight Aoshi. I was excited about the prospect of dual kodachi going up against the traditional daisho. His technique, combining the dual-weapon style with complete mastery of range, is basically unchanged from his original incarnation. Since Kenshin obviously only fights with one sword, I ultimately decided on having him exploit a very real weakness of two-weapon styles and get in one good blow because Ukiyo's attention was split too much.

Personality-wise, there is a reason he's named Jiro (second son) - the Niten Ichi style has one proper inheritor (even to this day, I believe). Where he learned the style himself is unclear; it could be a situation similar to that of Amakusa Shougo from the anime. But his obsessive need to prove himself the better man, to be the best at something, is what drives him here, something to which I feel we can all relate. His confidence is actually a front to cover his own fears about his weakness or inadequacy, unlike with characters who are actually overconfident. In that sense he's closest to Raijuta, but I don't think I'm being immodest when I say I think Ukiyo is a less pathetic character.

**Bonus - The Secret Lives of Characters: Kamiya Kaoru**

Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru. I know people who absolutely hate her and people who love her. Personally, I'm a fan of her character. The fact of the matter is that the reason Rurouni Kenshin works so well and has such broad appeal is because of Kaoru's upbeat, positive presence. Watsuki repeatedly says that Kaoru is a strong character, as evidenced when she fights Kamatari and manages to win with a little help from Misao. The largest strikes against her are her breakdown in Volume 8 after Kenshin leaves, which I blame on Watsuki as a writer rather than Kaoru as a character, and her tendency to have her legs go out from under her and cry when things get rough - there, I place blame about fifty-fifty.

But despite these failings she _is_ a strong character, and I wanted to reflect that here. "Save-the-girl" plots are common enough; I wanted Kaoru to do a little saving of her own. Granted, I may have already undermined myself by having her go along with her abductors so easily, but it is stressed again and again in the series that a great swordsman can tell the difference in strength between himself and his enemies, so it seems logical to me that Kaoru would recognize the vast gulf in strength between her and the enemies she faced. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide whether they agree with me or not.


	3. Battle in the Frozen Wastes

Tetsuo looked up as the sound of Zhang Cai's weapon slamming against the ground echoed into the mountain. "That means he's here, and he's already taken out Ukiyo," he said. "That was quick. I expected that fight to drag on longer."

Saitou looked at him over the smoldering end of a cigarette. "You've underestimated Battousai," he said. "Hardly a wise move."

"Hardly the move I made," Tetsuo retorted. He now wore a katana at his waist, which he gripped with white knuckles. "Your taunts are beginning to wear thin, Saitou-san. Perhaps you should be up after Zhang Cai instead of Kuroda."

"It makes no difference to me," Saitou said. "No matter how many men he takes down before he arrives, he will still be fighting as rurouni and not hitokiri. I have no interest in this battle, only obligation." He looked at Kamiya Kaoru, who sat stoically several feet away, hands folded in her lap. "I might even be rooting for him if it were not such a patently ridiculous notion."

Kaoru returned his gaze, briefly, before staring straight ahead again. Saitou disguised his smile by raising his hand to his mouth to take another drag on his cigarette. She was not going to take this lying down.

Little wonder why Battousai felt the way he did about her.

"Whatever," Tetsuo said, releasing his grip on his sword. "Unless he's fighting to kill, Battousai won't have gotten past Ukiyo without sustaining a wound or two. Zhang Cai will give him another. Then, if Kuroda doesn't finish him, he'll be easy pickings for you, Saitou-san."

"I'm thrilled," Saitou said. "Your plan seems to be proceeding smoothly, Tetsuo."

Tetsuo smirked. "Of course it is."

Saitou looked at Kaoru again. He was not worried.

Not if Battousai had half as much fire in him as she did right now.

* * *

Kenshin leapt out of the way of the guandao strike. The weapon cleaved an enormous furrow in the snow. If it had landed, it would have split his head clean in two.

Despite the size and weight of his weapon, his opponent moved with impressive speed, transitioning from the chop into a thrust which Kenshin took on his blade, letting it push him away and out of range. He landed lightly in the snow, ignoring the pain in his gut from Ukiyo's stab wound. "This one would know who he fights," he said, "if only for the sake of courtesy."

"My name is Zhang Cai," the man replied. "Your opponent."

He moved into a whirling, three-sixty-degree strike which would bisect Kenshin if it landed. Kenshin hurled himself into the air, raising his sword above his head in preparation for a Ryutsuisen.

He felt the air leave his lungs as something heavy struck him square in the chest. He blinked and realized it was the weighted end of a long chain which Zhang Cai had hurled from his sleeve, disrupting Kenshin's Ryutsuisen. He managed to land on his feet, but Zhang Cai lashed out with his guandao in a powerful strike Kenshin could not completely block. The edge of the guandao bit into his leg. In the same moment, Zhang Cai brought the chain around in a sweeping strike at Kenshin's neck. Kenshin brought up a hand to block it and keep the chain from strangling him if it wrapped around his throat, but Zhang Cai gave a sudden, hard yank, smashing the weighted end of the chain into the back of Kenshin's head.

Kenshin staggered forward, pain surging behind his eyes. He'd taken many such blows, but he was no longer in his prime, so his vision blurred and he wobbled, his balance thrown off. The wound on his leg also hampered him, threatening to tear further if he overexerted himself.

"Why do you fight this one?" Kenshin asked, breathing heavily. He had to buy himself a little time to let his vision stop swimming. "What were you offered? You are from the Continent. What does Japan have which the Continent does not?"

"I have no duty," Zhang Cai replied, "to tell you."

He lashed out with the chain again, this time aiming for Kenshin's sword. Kenshin knew that his trick with Akamatsu – crushing the chain between his sword and his sheath – would not work here; this chain was too thick, its wielder too skilled.

But there were other ways to deal with the chain.

Zhang Cai looked surprised when Kenshin let him wrap the chain around his sword. He was much larger and stronger, so he expected to have a natural advantage if it came to a fight for possession of Kenshin's weapon.

His surprise increased as Kenshin leapt into the air, soaring above his head in a Ryushousen. He strained against the chain, using the explosive power of the move to force Zhang Cai into a tough choice: release the chain or run the risk of it snapping from Kenshin's attack. Off-guard from Kenshin's unexpected strength, Zhang Cai chose the wrong option. He tried to pull Kenshin back down with a heave on the chain.

It snapped clean in half.

Kenshin landed smoothly well out of Zhang Cai's range. A moment later, the chain and its weighted end crashed to the ground beside him.

"I have underestimated you," Zhang Cai said. "I will not make the same mistake again."

"This one says again, he has no desire to fight!" Kenshin insisted. "Will you not lay aside your sword?"

Zhang Cai shook his head. "I cannot." He paused; Kenshin said nothing, knowing that the man's quiet resolve was weakening as he recognized Kenshin's strength. "I am here by order of Her Highness the Dowager Empress Cixi. Rebels spring up everywhere on the Continent, and it is her desire that we command a more effective secret police in order to combat them. I am here to learn from you – and to defeat you, if possible."

Rage flared up in Kenshin. He didn't know how many more men Tetsuo had, and if he kept sustaining wounds at this rate, he would never reach Kaoru. He'd hoped to avoid putting too much stress on his body before he had to face Saitou and Tetsuo, but –

"If it is your wish to learn from this one," Kenshin said, "THEN WATCH CLOSELY!"

Zhang Cai jerked in surprise as Kenshin attacked, launching straight into the Kuzu-ryūsen. The big man went flying as Kenshin's nine simultaneous strikes hit his vital points with tremendous force. Gasping with the effort of the attack, Kenshin went down on one knee for a moment, feeling both the wounds and the murkiness of his own body protest.

In a moment, Zhang Cai was back on his feet, still clutching his guandao. He was shaken by the attack, but not too severely wounded. "Please understand," he said. He began a charge, his intent clearly to lay Kenshin open from throat to groin with his guandao. "It is not personal."

Kenshin caught the attack on his sakabatō, turning it aside. At the same time, he pulled the sheath from his waist. Taking a cue from Ukiyo, he switched his sakabatō to a reverse grip as Zhang Cai's momentum carried the big man toward him.

He slammed the hilt of his sword and his sheath against the suigetsu on either side of Zhang Cai's torso, the same spot in which he'd struck Kujiranami during the Jinchū battle. Zhang Cai gurgled as the impacts went straight to his lungs from both sides of his body. He toppled, hitting the snow with a much louder crash than Ukiyo.

"For this one," Kenshin said, "it _is_ personal."

He stood there, breathing heavily, for a moment.

"So the killer from the Continent falls," a mocking voice said from somewhere nearby. "I'm not surprised. There is still no match for the Japanese shinobi."

Kenshin whirled as snow crunched behind him, striking out with his sakabatō in a blow that would have taken an enemy in the gut. Nobody was there; instead, there was a small, spherical object freshly lodged in the snow, an object that was somehow familiar –

The grenade went off and sent Kenshin flying. He turned his tumble into a roll to bring him back up onto his feet, scanning the area. He felt shrapnel dig at him as he moved; the grenade had done some damage.

His danger sense flared. This was what his new opponent wanted, for him to be scanning the woods –

Without thinking, Kenshin went into a Ryumeisen, slamming his sword back into its sheath at god-speed. The explosive sound of metal on metal rang out like a gunshot, taking the man sneaking up on Kenshin by surprise. He hesitated for a crucial split second.

Kenshin didn't hesitate, spinning around into a battoujutsu draw. His new opponent, a nondescript-looking man, ducked the first strike, but ran right into the sheath, taking the second half of Kenshin's Soryusen across his face. He staggered, began to right himself, then threw up his arms as Kenshin kicked snow into his face, blinding him. Kenshin struck out with another attack, but his new opponent leapt backward out of range, brushing the snow from his eyes.

"Dirty," he laughed. "Not that I can claim I fight differently."

"You have been observing this one's moves," Kenshin said. It was not a question. "So you know this one's strength. Unless you wish to follow Ukiyo and Zhang Cai, you will desist!"

"Desist? When I have the chance to kill the legendary Hitokiri and become a legend myself?" He laughed. "Please, Battousai. Kuroda Yasuhiro is not so naïve."

Kenshin didn't wait for him to say anything more. He launched into another Kuzu-ryūsen, trying to take Kuroda down instantly.

Only the most powerful of swordsmen could dodge or block the Kuzu-ryūsen, so Kenshin was not surprised when his strikes landed. He was taken aback, however, by how Kuroda purposefully took the strikes. The sakabatō did almost no damage; he clearly had trained himself in iron-body techniques.

Worse than that, as Kenshin wobbled behind him, the effort of the attack tearing at him again, Kuroda turned, lashing out in a lightning-fast punch. Kenshin twisted, turning his body so he would take the blow on his shoulder.

The report of a gun rang out as Kuroda's fist made contact with Kenshin's shoulder. Something tore at Kenshin's skin, dealing only a grazing blow but making him stagger nonetheless. Kuroda followed up with another punch with his other hand, which Kenshin took on his sword. This time, he clearly saw what happened. From beneath Kuroda's sleeve, above the back of his hand, a hidden gun fired. This bullet sailed an inch past Kenshin's head, ripping through his hair.

Kenshin disengaged, buying himself time to reassess the situation. His shoulder was bleeding only a little; it wouldn't even bother him later. It _would_ be bothersome, however, if one of those bullets hit.

"What do you think, Battousai?" Kuroda laughed. "You may be able to read the path of a bullet fired by a gunman, but what if that bullet is fired from a source far too close to dodge?" He pulled down the sleeve of his right arm, revealing a complex-looking mechanical device wrapped around his forearm. Kenshin recognized a barrel lying flush along Kuroda's forearm, as well as a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers set behind it. "This shadow instrument, 'Exploding Fist,' is the latest in covert weapons technology. Any sudden impact on the hand triggers the spring mechanism, which fires the gun. With the ammunition capacity and power of a revolver, a single good hit is instantly lethal!"

"So it is like Otowa Hyōko's Baika-Chusen," Kenshin said, "but far more powerful." He spread his stance, ready to react to Kuroda's attack.

"Otowa was a novice, a disgrace!" Kuroda chuckled. "I will make the world forget his name, and yours, with the power of the Exploding Fist!" Displaying impressive speed, he rushed in, fists clenched. "Everyone will instead remember the name of Kuroda Yasuhiro!"

Kenshin ducked his first strike, crushed the sakabatō against Kuroda's gut with little effect, leapt away from the second strike. Kuroda moved too quickly to be wearing more weaponry on hs legs, which explained why he was not trying any kicks. But if he got in one lucky strike, it would be the end. Kenshin needed to finish this quickly.

"Give up!" Kuroda laughed, spinning around for another charge. "You will die here in the snow, Battousai!"

One of his arms blurred. Kenshin blinked as he realized another grenade was hurtling toward his head. He sent it flying with a quick strike from his sakabatō, but the move left him open. Kuroda tried for a double hammerblow, attacking with both fists at once. Reacting on instinct, Kenshin turned his body between Kuroda's attacks, positioning himself between his arms, inches from his torso. He ducked beneath Kuroda's left arm, leaping away, but it had been close. That trick would not work again.

"And after you die," Kuroda said, "I think I'll go see to that woman of yours. She's good-looking, Battousai. My compliments."

Kenshin felt his battle-glare, already present on his face, grow more intense. "Do not speak of Kaoru-dono, Kuroda. This one will not allow it."

"Sure you won't." Kuroda's next attack glanced against Kenshin's side; the Exploding Fist discharged, burying a bullet in a nearby tree. Kenshin's retaliatory strike had no effect; it was like hitting a stone statue.

"I wonder," Kuroda laughed, "if her screams will be as pretty as her face."

The flames of Kenshin's rage had grown in his fight with Zhang Cai; now they exploded into a firestorm. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!" he screamed. "IT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED!"

A smirk on his face, Kuroda slid toward him for another strike, his fist cocked.

Kenshin thrust with the sakabatō, pushing himself to the extreme edges of his range. The sword's tip unerringly found its mark – the barrel of Kuroda's right-hand Exploding Fist.

The impact triggered the device. Kenshin felt the sakabatō quake as the bullet slammed into it, but it blocked the barrel. The bullet, and more importantly the explosive force and heat of the gunpowder, had nowhere to go.

A moment later, all the other chambered rounds of the Exploding Fist detonated. Kuroda screamed as his right arm disappeared into a burst of flame and smoke. It reappeared a moment later, a bloody, mangled mess of broken bone and shredded flesh.

Kenshin freed his sakabatō with a sharp yank, reversed the blade, and cut Kuroda's left-handed Exploding Fist right off his arm. The Shadow Instrument fell; Kenshin bisected it again, ruining the barrel, before it could even hit the ground.

Ignoring Kuroda's screams, Kenshin sheathed his sword. "You will live," he said coldly. "Now, flee. Before this one changes his mind." He turned away, heading for the entrance to Mt. Hiei's interior.

His danger sense flared again. Kenshin whirled back around, ready for another attack, but all he saw was Kuroda, still screaming, rushing at him, his arms cradled to his chest. Kenshin stared, wondering what he was doing, then realized the awful truth when he looked closer at Kuroda's arms: they were clutching a pile of grenades.

There was a sound of thunder.

* * *

**The Secret Lives of Characters: Zhang Cai**

(It's pronounced roughly Jong Tsai, for those not familiar with pinyin romanization of Mandarin Chinese.)

One of the things I enjoy about Rurouni Kenshin is the fact that it's written as a kind of secret history. The drama with Shishio overlaps with the historical assassination of Oukubo, a deciding factor in the victory of the Ishin Shishi was Battousai... etc. Watsuki managed to make his characters fit into the world around them, so I wanted to do roughly the same thing here with a reference to the Qing Dynasty, which during the time period of RuroKen had its de facto ruler in the Dowager Empress Cixi (Tsi-hsi). Zhang Cai, therefore, was born.

His model is, of course, Guan Yu (style name Yunchang) from the Three Kingdoms Era, for whom the guandao is named. The character in John Woo's "Red Cliff" makes very good use of the impressive weapon in the screen time he's given, as does the Jade Warlord in "Forbidden Kingdom" (which is an awful film with sadly awesome fights). However, he _is_ an assassin, so I gave him a weighted chain like Akamatsu to mix things up a bit. I would have liked to have done a little more with the katana-versus-guandao concept, but I didn't want the chapter to overstay its welcome.

As a character, his motivation is "duty," and his weakness is "pride" - but not personal pride like Kuroda or Tetsuo. Zhang Cai idealizes his home country and is aggrieved by his ruler's decision to turn to the Japanese for help of any kind; this is what makes him initially underestimate Kenshin's strength and not speak, since he wants so badly for his target to be just a weakling. Still, out of all the opponents Kenshin faces (apart, obviously, from Saitou), he is the noblest and least selfish.

**The Secert Lives of Characters: Kuroda Yasuhiro**

On the opposite end of the spectrum, then, is Kuroda.

Just as Zhang Cai reflects something I like about Rurouni Kenshin, so does Kuroda. Watsuki manages to incorporate a lot of anachronisms or even fantastic/fictional concepts into his work and still make them feel organic within the world. Granted, there are a couple that are just weirdly out-of-place, like Hyottoko and Iwanbou, but for the most part (Fuji, the Mugenjin and Watoujutsu, various shadow instruments, etc.) it works very well. I wanted to do something similar, and I always liked the concept of Otowa more than the implementation, so I created my own shadow instrument. I needed someone to wield it, though, somebody who would provide a good foil for the stoic Zhang Cai, so Kuroda was born.

Kuroda has no specific model; desiring fame for fame's own sake is endemic to our culture, so it's a familiar motivation. Ukiyo wants to prove his mastery of the Niten Ichi style as a way of overcoming his own fears and self-doubt, and Tetsuo wants to advance his career to gain more influence, but Kuroda is just a shallow battle-monger and fame-seeker. In that sense, he's the weakest of the foes Kenshin has to face - he's fighting with the smallest stake in this conflict, so Kenshin naturally defeats him the most handily.

As far as the Exploding Fist goes, the idea came from a combination of Bayonetta, a game where the eponymous character dual-wields guns and wears two more guns on her shoes and then punches and kicks people with them _while firing them,_ and a scene from "The Expendables" where Jason Statham shoots a soldier a few times in the gut at point-blank range in a celebration of gory excess. I combined the two ideas, adjusted the technology to be as fitting with the time period as I could, and the Exploding Fist was born. I'm fond of it and I think it fits into the world of Rurouni Kenshin pretty well, but what do I know?


	4. The Last Wolf of Mibu

Tetsuo glanced up sharply as a tremendous rumble came from outside. "Seems like Kuroda didn't last very long," he said. "But it sounds like he got in a hit in the end." He turned to face Kaoru. "Now listen closely, woman. Battousai is coming. We're having him fight us in here, where the rough and uneven terrain will make it difficult for him to execute the succession technique of his Hiten style. If you move from this spot, I will kill you."

Saitou strode forward. "Don't worry," he said to her. "Have faith in Battousai. The fool has always figured out a way to weasel out of killing. I've no doubt he'll disappoint me once again and continue the trend."

"If you feel this way," Kaoru said, "why are you going to fight him? If you and Kenshin joined forces, this Tetsuo would be no problem!"

Saitou shook his head. "I have my orders. Detest the situation though I might, I cannot go against my superiors." He leaned in close, interposing his body between hers and Tetsuo's. "You understand."

Kaoru looked down at the tantō he'd just slipped into her grasp. Its naked blade was razor-sharp.

"I understand," she said, concealing the weapon in her sleeve. Her resolve did not falter. "I wish it were different."

"So do I." Saitou straightened up, turned to face the entrance. "But it looks like the time for regrets is over."

Kenshin stood in the entrance to the mountain's interior. He was bleeding from several wounds and his face and body had been burned, but his eyes shone bright and deadly even in the gloom of the mountain.

"This one has said he does not seek conflict," Kenshin said, his voice cold as death. "And this still holds true. But if you persist in detaining Kaoru-dono…" His eyes flashed. "This one will not hold back."

Tetsuo smiled. "It looks like he's finally gotten into it, Saitou-san. Care to take over from here?"

The rasp of Saitou's sword leaving its sheath was very loud in the silence of the mountain. Saitou relaxed into the Gatotsu stance, blade parallel to the ground, right arm extended. "Battousai," he said. "Turn over that sword of yours. Become yourself again so we can settle our score as it was meant to be."

Kenshin's gaze lingered on Kaoru for a split second before returning to Saitou. "This one swore an oath never to succumb to the hitokiri again," he said. "And this one intends to keep that oath."

"Then you condemn yourself," Saitou replied.

He charged.

* * *

The last time Saitou and Kenshin had fought, Kenshin had countered the Gatotsu with the Ryukansen.

It didn't work this time.

As Kenshin whirled out of the way, his sword arcing around to take Saitou in the back of the head, the former Shinsengumi captain suddenly changed the direction of his charge, throwing himself into a diagonal movement. His weight no longer concentrated on his sword, but rather on his right arm, he dealt Kenshin a hammerblow to the jaw which sent the smaller man sprawling.

Kenshin rolled back to his feet just in time to see Saitou charge again, the Gatotsu propelling him across the distance between them in a heartbeat. This time, Kenshin tried a Ryukansen to the left, spinning him around Saitou's other side where he couldn't attack with his right arm, but Saitou blended smoothly into a side slash which drew a fine red line across Kenshin's shoulder and ruined his strike. Still rushing past Kenshin with the force of his charge, Saitou dealt him a kick to the same shoulder, blood erupting from beneath his boot in a crimson spray.

Reeling, his vision blurring again, Kenshin slammed his blade against the floor to keep himself from falling. He got back into a full standing position just in time to throw himself out of the way of another Gatotsu, the sheer power of the move buffeting him with wind as Saitou rocketed by in a near miss.

"Well, Battousai?" Tetsuo called. "Aren't you going to unleash the secret of Hiten? Against the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, the Gatotsu should be nothing!"

Kenshin ignored the taunt. If he were to have any chance of defeating Tetsuo, he would need to conserve his strength. He knew he would not be able to use the Hiten succession technique more than once, not in his current condition. He had to defeat Saitou without it.

Against the Gatotsu's power, the Kuzu-ryūsen would be ineffective – Kenshin would be blown back by Saitou's strength. But if he used it during the recovery…

Saitou charged again, the rubble shattering beneath his feet. Kenshin barely managed to turn the attack aside, not wanting to throw himself out of the way again for fear of further aggravating his leg wound. Saitou gave him another kick as he passed, but Kenshin turned with the blow, minimizing its power, before launching into the Kuzu-ryūsen as Saitou came to a halt.

Before the first strike even landed, Saitou began to wind up for another attack, but it was different than the normal Gatotsu. He didn't move his legs, but he pitched his torso forward, while his left hand, gripping his sword, fell far behind his body. Kenshin recognized the form of the Gatotsu Zeroshiki.

He knew what would happen. He would land the first eight strikes of the Kuzu-ryūsen, but as he delivered the ninth, Saitou would rip him clean in half with the Zeroshiki.

So he purposefully tripped himself up on the uneven footing. Kenshin tumbled forward, the power and speed gone from his charge. Saitou saw the change, but he was already committed, Kenshin was stumbling into his range, he had to take the opening or leave himself open in turn –

Kenshin ducked the Zeroshiki, the thrust blasting right past his head with the force of a cannonball. He pushed off with his legs, slamming the sakabatō into Saitou's chin in another Ryushousen. As the maneuver took him into the air, he switched his grip on the sword, bringing the blunt side around to face down again.

Saitou looked up in time to see Kenshin push down off the ceiling in a Ryutsuisen. He reacted instantly, thrusting himself into the air with a Gatotsu Sanshiki. The men collided in midair, Saitou turning aside Kenshin's blade to get in a solid punch to his solar plexus. Kenshin doubled over, botching his landing; he fell in a heap while Saitou touched down relatively unharmed. He took a second to reset his dislocated jaw.

"I have not survived this long without adapting to my enemy's tactics," Saitou said. "Get up, Battousai. This isn't nearly over."

Kenshin's eyes snapped open.

"THIS ONE IS NOT BATTOUSAI!" he snarled. "NOT NOW AND NOT EVER AGAIN!"

He launched himself to his feet, rushing toward Saitou in what looked like a display of reckless abandon. Saitou met his charge with the Gatotsu Nishiki, holding his sword above his head rather than at his side as he attacked. The downward-diagonal direction of the stance added tremendous killing power to his thrust.

As Saitou's sword lanced toward him, Kenshin leapt into the air in a Ryukansen Tsumuji. He twisted his body around and swung his sakabatō in the same motion, not only whirling over the Gatotsu but also adding centrifugal power to his swing. His blow hit Saitou square in the chest; Kenshin hurtled past him before coming to a halt.

The former Shinsengumi captain grunted as the blow landed, but managed to keep his feet, grinding to a halt and launching another Gatotsu Nishiki at Kenshin's back.

His expression betrayed his surprise when Kenshin, still facing away, waited until the last possible second, then moved just enough to let the Gatotsu pass beneath his left arm. Saitou collided with him, the considerable force of the thrust hammering into Kenshin's body, but it was worth it.

"This one bears you no ill will, Saitou," Kenshin said, keeping Saitou's arm trapped against his body. "But you stand between this one and Kaoru-dono. So this one will do what he must."

Kenshin turned, sakabatō flashing in his hand. He hit Saitou with a Ryusosen Garami, nine lightning-fast strikes hammering the same spot on his chest over and over again. The last attack sent Saitou hurtling backward; he crashed into a large piece of fallen rock, the impact showering him with dust.

Then, before he could launch another Gatotsu or even straighten up, Kenshin hit him with the Kuzu-ryūsen. The nine simultaneous blows of the attack hammered Saitou into the rock again, shooting cracks through the stone. His sword flew from his grip, landing with a clatter some twenty feet away. It might have been twenty miles, for all the good it would do him. He slid limply to the floor. Kenshin stood over him, panting.

"Good!" Tetsuo called out. "Now finish it, Battousai!"

Kenshin gulped down a lungful of air. "This one has already said," he replied, "that he has no intention of becoming Battousai again. Not ever."

"That's too bad." Tetsuo drew his sword; Kenshin tensed, readying himself for the man's charge.

It didn't come. Tetsuo pressed the edge of his blade against Kaoru's throat. "A life for a life, Battousai. Seems reasonable, don't you think?"

Kenshin felt his blood run cold. "You are not serious."

"Of course I am!" Tetsuo sneered. "I told Saitou I'd make my career with this. If you kill him, not only do you get rid of the one man in the government who might pose a threat to me if I try to seize power, you also become the hitokiri again – just like I promised my superiors. On the other hand, if you don't kill him, I'll kill the girl, then both of you. You're really going to lose either way."

Kenshin locked gazes with Kaoru. She was afraid, but defiant, her lips pressed into a thin line despite the sword at her throat. "This one cannot," he heard himself saying. "There is the oath."

"What's an oath compared to someone you love?" Tetsuo asked. "What's an oath compared to killing your oldest rival and getting to keep living yourself? It's not a hard choice, Battousai! You're just making it that way!"

"Battousai," Saitou whispered. Kenshin's gaze snapped down to Saitou. The Wolf of Mibu was conscious, though he was breathing laboriously and his left arm was broken. "Don't be a fool. Kill me."

"THIS ONE CANNOT!" Kenshin screamed. "What of your wife, Tokio? What of your comrades in the police, the people under your protection?"

"What of _you?_ " Saitou countered. "What of that girl over there, who endured trials which would kill an ordinary person just to see you happy? For once in your righteous, pathetic life, Battousai, _think._ It is not a bad trade."

"Let me put it this way," Tetsuo said. His katana drifted down from Kaoru's throat, down, down to her stomach. He rested its point there, just hard enough to crease the fabric of her kimono. "Don't think of it in terms of the grief either death will cause, or who has lived the better life. Think of the numbers." His smile widened. "Think of the fact that by killing one man, you can save two lives."

Kenshin felt his heart stop beating. "Kaoru?" he whispered.

"I was going to tell you when you got back from Tomoe-san's grave," Kaoru said. "I was going – I was going to ask you what names you wanted."

He looked at Tetsuo. "How –"

"She visited the clinic in Tokyo before you departed," Tetsuo replied. "We were informed by our agents. The conclusion was a natural one."

"Do it, Battousai," Saitou said. "If you don't kill me, you will be letting them die. It's simple." With considerable effort, he withdrew a cigarette from his jacket and lit it. "Dying in a fight with you – with _you,_ Battousai – I would have no regrets."

Kenshin looked at Kaoru again.

"Do it," Tetsuo said. "DO IT NOW, BATTOUSAI, OR SHE DIES!"

Kenshin raised his sakabatō. "I am sorry," he whispered.

He stabbed Saitou in the chest.

* * *

**The Secret Lives of Characters: Saitou Hajime**

If you asked me who my favorite character in Rurouni Kenshin is, I might just have to say Saitou.

He's a great character, a man of many contradictions and hidden depths. He's the first major antagonist in Rurouni Kenshin to really be a _person._ Though I love Jin-e, he's not exactly the deepest character, and Aoshi only begins to show his depth later. Let's not even talk about Raijuta. By contrast, Saitou is a man of honor and restraint, of bloodlust and passion. He has history with Kenshin, he has a wife and deep motivations and a life off of the page - great stuff. And his deconstruction of Kenshin's rurouni beliefs is one of the best moments of the manga, especially since many readers agree with his views, or at least acknowledge the validity of his criticisms - that's genuine conflict right there.

I was disappointed when he decided not to take Kenshin up on his offer at the end of the manga, though this was the most in-character thing for him to do by far. This, more than anything else, was the fight I wanted to see. Since that didn't happen, I decided to write it myself. I was especially motivated to do this because his first fight with Kenshin is his best battle by far. I like Usui well enough, but Yatsume is not a character of whom I'm fond and the Suu-Shin fights feel like filler. So.

This was actually one of the things that motivated me to condense this story into Kenshin vs. Government Killers rather than Kenshin, Sanosuke, Aoshi and Soujirou vs. Government Killers. Kenshin's fight was going to be with Tetsuo, and Sano's fight was going to be with Saitou, since Sano's still got something to prove there with his desire to go "beyond" Saitou. I was hesitant, however, because as Sano himself said, "I can't see him [Saitou] losing to anyone but Kenshin" - meaning, I admitted to myself, that Sano himself would probably take a fall even with the Futae no Kiwami. It's _Saitou,_ after all. Ergo, here we are instead.

I do want to note that the manga _does_ have Kaoru narrate that "We never shared that justice with him again," which is clearly meant to say "we never encountered him again," but I'm choosing to interpret it as "we never fought alongside him again." Maybe the original Japanese is more explicit, but I think one small departure from canon is worth it to bring together Saitou and Kenshin for a battle.


	5. A Sweet, Naïve Lie

_A sword is a weapon. Whatever pretty names you give it, swordsmanship is a way to kill. She speaks as one who has never bloodied her hands. Kaoru-dono maintains a sweet, naïve lie._

Kenshin's words of almost two years ago seemed to echo in Kaoru's ears. She saw the terrible look in Kenshin's eyes as he drove his sakabatō into Saitou's chest.

_But in the face of such awful truth, the naïve lie she tells is so much better._

She watched the blood spurting from the wound, the look of shock on the man's face as he realized what had happened.

_If this one had a wish, it would only be that her lie would become the truth of this world._

Kaoru watched Maeda Tetsuo claw ineffectually at the tantō buried in his neck as the lifeblood poured out of him. It hit the ground in fat, wet drops, the sound seeming to drown out Kenshin's words, making his voice fade.

Now she saw the look on Kenshin's face as he watched Tetsuo stagger back, the sword slipping from his insensate fingers. It was rage, and disgust, and fear, and recognition.

He looked at her, and was a stranger.

Tetsuo fell limply to the ground. At the same time, the sakabatō fell out of Saitou's chest, its blade wet with his blood.

"I –" Kenshin started. "This one –" He looked back and forth between Saitou and Kaoru, at a loss for words.

Kaoru did not share his problem. The words spilled out of her in a sudden torrent. "Saitou-san gave me the tantō just as you were coming in, and I knew I had to use it, but Tetsuo had no openings in his stance until he let down his guard as you were stabbing Saitou. I could tell he was going to – he was going to – I had to stop him, Kenshin. I couldn't let him take you from me. Not after all we've been through. But there was no other way – I had to…"

She sank to her knees, bile welling up in the back of her throat. "What in Heaven have I done?" she whispered, feeling her eyes clouding with tears. "What happened to katsujin-ken? What happened to – to us?"

Her shoulders shuddered; for a moment, she felt like she might black out. She swayed from side to side.

Kenshin was suddenly there, his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him. "Kaoru," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "This one is so sorry."

She opened her eyes and saw, much to her surprise, that he was crying as well.

"This one has lived for so long adhering to the oath not to kill – that this one hesitated when one should not have. If this one had attacked Tetsuo first, or…"

"Enough," Saitou cut in. "From both of you."

Both of them started and looked up. The Wolf of Mibu was standing – just barely, but he _was_ standing. His jacket hung open, revealing the stab wound in his torso. It bled, but he didn't seem to notice.

Kenshin stared at him. "How –"

Saitou sneered. "You've become soft. The blunt edge of that sword angled off my sternum and missed my heart. I don't even think you managed to pierce a lung."

Kaoru felt all the tension, all the anger, evaporate from Kenshin's body. "This one –"

"Forget it," Saitou said. "I should have known your body wouldn't have been able to do it, even if your mind wanted to." With a shaky hand, he retrieved another cigarette from his jacket, lit it. "Congratulations. You've won."

Kaoru wiped at her eyes. "But –"

"There is no 'but.' You did what was necessary. When Tetsuo saw that I was still alive, he would have killed you and Kenshin." Kaoru almost gasped at Saitou's use of Kenshin's name, but she held it in as he continued. "There was precisely one way out of that situation, and it was death. Yours – or mine – or his."

Kaoru looked down at her hands. They were stained red with fresh blood. "But that goes against everything I believe."

"Then you will have to do what anyone confronted with a contradiction of their beliefs does," Saitou replied. "You will either reject it and hold onto your beliefs, or you will find new ones. That is all. Life –" he looked at Kenshin – "goes on."

Kenshin helped Kaoru to her feet. "This one is sorry, Saitou."

Saitou scowled. "For what? If you had had a real sword, I would be in the next world. You did what I've always wanted – you tried to kill me." He went to pick up his sword. "I have no regrets."

"One more thing," Kenshin said. "You called this one by his name. Does that mean –"

"Hitokiri Battousai is dead," Saitou replied as he headed for the exit. "That is what my report will say." He looked over his shoulder, eyes glinting in the gloom. "Don't make a liar out of me, Himura Kenshin."

Then he was gone.

* * *

Kenshin, leaning on Kaoru's shoulder, limped out of Mt. Hiei and into the sunlight.

The clouds had parted and the snow had stopped falling. The bodies of Tetsuo's compatriots were gone. With a groan and a nod, Kenshin indicated that they should head for a nearby tree so they could rest beneath it.

For a long time they sat there, staring up at the mountain. Kenshin's breathing was shallow, his body a mass of pain, but he would make it. He'd been injured far worse.

"Kenshin," Kaoru finally whispered. "Was I wrong?"

"It is just as Saitou has said," Kenshin replied. "If you had not stopped Tetsuo, he would have killed you upon seeing this one's failure to finish Saitou. It truly was the only way."

Kaoru sighed. "So my father – I – was wrong."

"That," Kenshin said, "is not true."

"But –"

She stopped talking when Kenshin kissed her, his lips rough and cold. He tasted of blood and sweat, but she returned his kiss, pressing her body against his. He withdrew after only a few moments, but she knew his point had been made.

"What this one said when we first met – about the sweet, naïve lie you maintained – was wrong, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin rested his hand on his sakabatō. "The sword is not a tool for the giving of death, or the giving of life. It is merely a sword. Your katsujin-ken may still be wielded. This one may still wield the sakabatō. What you did, what this one did – it is all too easy to say that such acts forever condemn us. What is harder is to acknowledge what one has done, that it has happened, and to continue on one's path despite that." He smiled at her. "If such a thing were not true, this one would still be the hitokiri."

Kaoru felt herself returning his smile, despite the tears in her eyes. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"Yes. Even if that, itself, is a sweet, naïve lie – this one will embrace it." Kenshin reached into his robe, withdrew the gold hairpin. "As this one hopes to forever embrace you."

Kaoru kissed him again, and Kenshin did not feel the cold of the snow or the chill of the wind. The flames of rage within him were gone, replaced by a new warmth.

They returned to town. The sakabatō was no longer heavy.

**Fin**

* * *

**The Secret Lives of Characters: Maeda Tetsuo**

His model, motivation-wise, is the young Tetragrammaton Cleric who replaces Sean Bean as Christian Bale's partner in Equilibrium. (If you haven't seen it, I recommend it on the basis of it being an interesting and visually pleasing film.) Furthering his career and expanding his influence are his central motivations; he even tells Christian Bale that he'll "make [his] career with [him.]" Also fittingly enough, rather than providing a long and climactic fight for Christian Bale, this young cleric gets his face sliced off in the space of about three seconds. So there is Tetsuo in his entirety.

I only ever had vague ideas about Tetsuo's abilities as a fighter, and when I ultimately decided to have Kaoru kill him rather than Kenshin, his fighting moves became a moot point. He's somewhat like Raijuta in that he has (at least I think) a very intimidating introduction and only goes downhill in personal and moral integrity from there. Unlike Raijuta, I think this works - and, for a moment, he even manages to defeat Kenshin, making him willing to break his vow. Still, his overconfidence is his weakness, as well as his inability to look past the obvious and see what's really going on, which ultimately leads to his downfall. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that Tetsuo is not a character who will be missed.

**Final Thoughts**

So, thank you for reading "A Sweet, Naïve Lie." I hope you enjoyed the story from beginning to end; if the ending threw you, I can only repeat what my beta told me: "I felt like everything that had to happen in that story happened." So it is that I can look back on this piece and say I'm satisfied with it and I can only hope you are too. On that note, I'd like to thank my lovely beta, VulcanElf, for the great job she did proofreading this piece and making sure it was intelligible even to those who are not familiar with the fandom. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy VII, or if you're looking to branch out into a new fandom but don't know where to start, you should read her work.

On that note of recommendation, I will ask one favor: if you have a friend who loves Rurouni Kenshin, tell them about this story. Writers do what they do in order to be read, after all, and every new person who enjoys this story is a victory for me. Thank you and take care.


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